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Friday, February 15, 2013

Irvine police detectives believe fired police Officer Christopher Dorner gathered intelligence on his first two victims before he shot them on the rooftop of an Irvine parking structure, documents reviewed by the Register show.

The slayings of Monica Quan and Keith Lawrence opened what police say was a murderous campaign carried out by Dorner in retribution for his firing several years ago from the Los Angeles Police Department.

The two former basketball standouts, newly engaged, were shot so many times with a 9 mm pistol that investigators concluded the killer had used a high-capacity magazine, the court documents show. Orange County prosecutors were poised to file murder charges against Dorner and indicated that they would have sought the death penalty.

Instead, Dorner died earlier this week in a mountain cabin where he had barricaded himself for a last stand with law enforcement officers. The cabin burned after a volley of incendiary tear-gas canisters; the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department confirmed Thursday that charred remains found in the basement were those of Dorner.

"It is believed that Dorner conducted background on his intended targets ... and may be in possession of ... documents containing personal and professional information for Keith Lawrence, and the entire Quan family," Irvine Detective Jonathan Sampson wrote in an affidavit in support of a search warrant.

The couple were found shot to death in a car Feb. 3. The court documents reveal that Orange County authorities pinpointed Dorner as a suspect in the killing of Quan and Lawrence as early as Feb. 5. The next day, detectives requested permission to search Dorner's house immediately. By then, they were aware of an online statement titled "Last Resort," attributed to Dorner, that promised war against those he blamed for his dismissal from the LAPD.